Marian Eileen May

Marian Eileen (Sletten) May, 82, of Great Falls, a retired Census Bureau employee, passed away Monday, May 27, 2013 from natural causes at her home. A memorial service will be held Monday, June 3, 2013 at 2:00 pm at Faith Lutheran Church. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O’Connor Funeral Home. Marian was born in Great Falls on October 31, 1930 to John and Hedvig Sletten. As a child, she moved with her family to Butte for a short time. They returned to Great Falls where she received her education and graduated from Great Falls High School in 1948. She attended college for a few years and moved to San Francisco where she met Robert C. Gunness. They married December 25, 1952 in San Francisco, and they lived in California for several years. She returned to Great Falls in 1957, and Robert passed away in 1963. Marian married Edward C. May in 1967 in Great Falls. He died in 1998. Marian was a charter member and very active in Redeemer Lutheran Church and later became a member of Faith Lutheran Church. She enjoyed playing bridge and spending time at her cabin on Seeley Lake. She was a founding member of the Seeley Hills Golf Course (now the Double Arrow Golf Club). She was also an avid bowler for 37 years at the Pin & Cue. Marian is survived by her children, Roberta Smith, John Gunness, Dave (Becky) Gunness, and Anna (Glen) Carter, all from Great Falls; brother Bob (Pat) Sletten of Great Falls; brother-in-law Gordon Dutt of Arizona; grandchildren Jyn Henzel, Josh Henzel, Landon Smith, Dawn O’Meara, Tyler Carter, and Linsey Carter; and great-grandchildren Brady, Haley, and Henry Henzel, Liam Shannon and Madi Smith. She was preceded in death by her husbands; sisters Frances Dutt and Helen Neil; and son-in-law Landon E. Smith, Jr.